


What The Water Gave Me

by Anonymous



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, M/M, Maritime theme, Mer!AU, The scales are important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 18:09:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11856882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/





	What The Water Gave Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaucyWench](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaucyWench/gifts).



At first Kili thought he found a body. 

The man was lying on his front, his face half-pressed into the sand and not a stitch of clothing on him. The storm last night was spectacular and awe-inspiring even in the little lighthouse, well-used to weathering any conditions. The waves beat the rocky outcrop on which it was situated with true fury, reaching nearly the top and obscuring the little light at times. 

If Kili didn’t know any better, he’d say that the man was swimming in it. 

He was covered in cuts and bruises, raw scrapes running entire length of his right side, as if he’d been dragged along the bottom of the sea. But the two injuries that worried Kili the most were a massive bruise forming over the lower right section of the stranger’s ribcage indicating broken ribs, and a deep gash along his left temple, which was bleeding profusely. 

But the man was alive. 

Or perhaps the term ‘creature’ would have been more appropriate? Because try as he might deny his eyes, Kili could clearly see that the stranger’s legs were covered in a layer of odd, shiny film strewn with a mass of beautiful, delicate grey-blue scales. Like the colour of the sea, Kili thought whimsically. Whatever it was – a tail, remnants of a tail, Kili’s mind screamed at him - it was disappearing fast, sliding down the man’s thighs in lumps. It was like watching snowflakes melt on the pads of your fingers – becoming more and more transparent before turning into water and drying into nothingness. 

“A scale.” The low, hoarse voice made Kili nearly jump out of his skin. “Take a scale. So you can – So you can give it back.” 

“Hush, you shouldn’t be talking. You’re injured.” Kili gave himself a mental slap. He’s been so fascinated by the – the tail - that he missed the moment when exhausted blue-grey eyes fluttered open to watch Kili watch the man’s body.

“A scale,” the stranger repeated more desperately and his fingers, strangely black along the ends, yanked at Kili’s clothes. “Please, Kili.”

Kili didn’t let himself think about what he was doing as he picked one near see-through scale from the the inside of the man’s thigh. Something like a grimace of pain crossed his face but he didn’t make a sound, as the scale seemed to solidify and re-gain its colour between Kili’s fingers.

“Um,” Kili managed, turning the scale gingerly between his fingers.

“Keep it safe.” 

It was as if the energy was draining from him fast now and soon the man was shivering violently, his hands reaching for Kili once again.

Kili forced himself to focus on practicalities, taking off his coat and wrapping it tightly around the man’s shoulders to lend him some of his own body warmth. Hypothermia would be settling in fast now – this was Nova Scotia after all, not Tampa Bay, Florida. His injuries also needed urgent attention, the concussion alone –

“Kili,” the creature repeated and Kili’s eyes widened, hair at the back of his neck standing on ends as a shaking hand brushed black fingertips along his cheek. “My Kili. My brother. It’s been so long, but I found you now – Did they take you in? Did they look after you properly? I swam by so many times, looking, searching. Always searching. It hurt so bad to think - I never once thought to look up. I never once –“

Concussion, Kili told himself, hand closing over the – the mer’s hand - on impulse. So much anguish in those blue-grey eyes. At least that little gesture seemed to bring him a little bit of comfort. Kili wasn’t going to think about how the mer could have possibly known his name. Kili was going to save him, that was the main thing, so he could ask. Later. 

He looked towards the little cottage next to the light house visible in the distance, and wondered if a fireman’s carry would be too much for the man’s broken ribs even if he was going to rest most of his weight along his left side. 

“If I leave you alone here for a few minutes, are you going to disappear?” he asked honestly, searching the blue-grey eyes.

“No. I can’t – I wouldn’t get very far. And I won’t lose you again, little brother.”

Kili nodded, closing his coat around the mer tighter and ran for his house. He needed blankets; Thorin’s old wheelchair. First aid kit ready. 

And a whole lot of time and alcohol to work out what just happened, once the mer was safe.


End file.
